


Back To The Wild

by AgentOfShip



Series: AgentOfShip does Kink Bingo 2019 [10]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Declarations Of Love, Early 1900, F/M, MCU Kink Bingo, Romantic Gestures, back to the wilds, fitz in a kilt, fitzsimmons as disney princesses, jemma needs her man back, very freeform tarzan trope
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-23
Updated: 2019-04-23
Packaged: 2020-01-25 15:36:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18577417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AgentOfShip/pseuds/AgentOfShip
Summary: Two months after her expedition in Scotland's wilderness, botanist Jemma Simmons goes back to the forest and the man she loves, hoping the two weeks they spent together mean as much to him as they do to her.





	Back To The Wild

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the square Romantic Gesture for MCU Kink Bingo and is a follow up to my story In The Wilds Of Scotland. You can read this one separately but it is really better to have read the first one to understand their relationship better :)  
> Beta'd my LibbyWeasley who's also the one who made me notice something about the first story that prompt the follow up :)

"Next station is Dallchaloch. Dallchaloch in ten minutes, ladies and gentlemen!" 

The name used to evoke quiet and slightly boring summer days spent with her parents away from London and all the city life. Now, it made Jemma's heart beat faster and her palms sweaty with nervous excitement.

With everything that had happened since, it felt like the day she'd discovered her miraculous yellow flower (that still needed proper naming) was at the same time yesterday and years ago. But it had in fact been two and a half months since she'd started experimenting with it and it was already showing impressive results. It significantly improved wound healing and, when ingested, seemed to have very positive effects on anemia caused by heavy blood loss, which explained why it had long been used by the women of her young maid's family during their menses. And although the latter aspect was, of course, considered to be of no interest to the board of Cambridge, they agreed that it was a very interesting discovery and had allowed Jemma a very substantial grant. Professor Randolph had been the one to tell her it was only to be used to further study the specific environment of this flower and possibly find others of equal interest. Having always been the only one who'd supported her, he'd looked sorry that she was being denied her academic dream once more. But to his surprise, Jemma hadn't protested and had even been very enthusiastic about it. Of course, after that, she knew the rumor that had spread through their department. That she had finally abandoned her idea of going to Africa altogether, that it wasn't a place for women anyway and it was too hostile for her supposed fragile constitution. Which were all ridiculous notions in so many ways that she didn't have the courage to list them all. But Jemma hadn't abandoned the idea at all, just pushed it a little further into the future. And yes, it was true that her idea when she first decided to go to Scotland, was to earn her spot on an expedition to Congo once she'd proven how valuable she was to the University by finding something without even having to leave their island. But her priorities had shifted, and more time to spend in Scotland was exactly what she wanted and needed at the moment. 

Fitz's letters hadn't left her for a second. Every one of them was neatly folded and tucked into the inside pocket of her coat, close to her heart, smelling of the flowers he'd enclosed with every one of them and, somehow, of him. Thinking of Fitz filled her with love, anticipation and desire but also nervousness and a certain amount of dread. They had only been together for two weeks and it had all been so unexpected that she'd been at a loss about what she could allow herself to say or do before they parted, but she should have told him anyway. She should have listened to her heart for once and told him she loved him before she left. She almost did in every one of her letters to him but she wanted to see his face when she did. She needed to be sure his reaction to her declaration would be genuine. 

Even _she_ knew it sounded a little crazy to feel so strongly about someone after so little time. Was their bond as deep as she thought it was? How would he really react when he saw her? Maybe it had all been an act, maybe she wasn't the first naive girl to fall for the handsome wild man with a heart of gold act. Or maybe it had been real for two weeks but he'd forgotten about her already or, or… No! You couldn't fake such loving and tender gestures or such passion. And he wouldn't be so cruel as to write such lovely words if he didn't care for her anymore. She only had to close her eyes to see the longing on his face the last time they broke apart at the edge of the forest, or feel how hard it had been to pull back from his embrace, or the tear that had fallen down her neck then. Each night for two months she'd relived every one of their moments together, the way he'd first made love to her in the forest and how he had made her discover things about herself she'd never even suspected. She remembered every drawing or schematic he'd showed her and every question he'd asked about her research. She sighed. It felt like she'd been waiting for their reunion for ages, she couldn't start doubting him now. Not with everything. 

The train slowly came to a stop and soon Jemma found herself alone on the windy platform with her satchel and suitcase. She was travelling light considering how cold it was getting already and that she didn't know how long she would stay. But it had all gone so fast. All the news had crashed over like a wave in only a few days and had turned her life upside down. The first of her grant money had been delivered just as she was trying to write a letter to Fitz and finding herself unable to say anything beyond "dearest Fitz". So instead, she had packed a suitcase with all the essentials to work and dress appropriately, and bought a ticket on the next train leaving for Dallchaloch. 

Of course, it also meant that no one knew of her arrival and that she'd have to find a way to get to the cottage on her own quickly enough to still have the time to walk up to Fitz's house before dark. She didn't really mind though. It was good to finally be on her own, to do things without the help of anyone. And it was so quiet here, with the birds singing, the wind in the trees and the recent rain that brought out all the earthly smells she associated with the forest and Fitz. She had missed it so much that she had spent two months wishing she could had bottled it up and brought it with her to Cambridge. Taking a deep breath, she walked out of the station and in search of a carriage. Her life was waiting for her deep in the forest.

-0-0-0-

It was late afternoon when Jemma got to the river. She'd worn her special boots but it was in fact not necessary because, just where she used to cross and put her feet in the water, _someone_ had brought four big stones that created a bridge of sorts. Jemma smiled as she hopped from stone to stone and continued uphill on the other side of the stream.

The trees grew denser again once on top of the hill and Jemma took the now very familiar path towards Fitz's house. She smiled as she recognized the old crooked tree and the small patches of bluebells along the way. She was rather proud of how much better she'd gotten at finding her way through the forest.

There was some noise above her and Jemma noticed the lovely red squirrel looking curiously down at her. She took a few cautious steps closer and started foraging through her satchel to find the little bag of nuts she'd taken the habit of having with her while in the forest, but the little critter ran towards the trunk and up towards the higher branches before Jemma had the time to find it. 

Sighing, she started walking again while distractingly looking ahead to find the hollow tree that meant she had to turn left.

"Oh, thistles," she whispered under her breath. "I've been missing you in my—"

Strong arms closed around her waist from behind and she squealed loudly, making a flight of birds leave the nearby trees. She wiggled to try and escape the strong hold until her captor started laughing and she recognized the sound. She stopped fighting and he let her go so she could turn around and look at him. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw his face. His bright eyes and child-like smile made him look unfairly attractive and it looked like his beard and hair were better kept now but with still more than enough curl to run her fingers through when they— 

No, she was very cross with him for scaring her like that and she schooled her features accordingly, putting her hand on her hips for good measure.

"Why do you have to be so quiet all the time? Are you some kind of elf?"

"And why are you so loud? You're scaring the squirrels away! I thought bears were back in the forest after all."

"Oh I'm a bear now? Well thank you! That's very flattering, makes me feel very graceful and—"

"You can be very graceful," he cut her off as his lips broke into a wicked grin. "Just not when you walk..."

Her eyes went wide at the innuendo. They were finally reunited after two months and all he could talk about was their bedroom activities. Although half of those didn’t actually happen in a bed. A few had happened against a tree not unlike the one behind Fitz and with him wearing only the kilt he was wearing today and... no! She was supposed to be very annoyed by him, not turned on. 

"Fitz! Is that really all you have to say? You're so—"

His lips were on hers before she could finish her sentence. His fingers slid into her hair as he pulled her closer and the breath was stolen from her lungs by the passion with which he kissed her. Her knees felt weak and she had to hold onto his arms not to lose her balance. She never knew it was possible to miss something, someone so much. His lips tasted as sweet as ever and she moaned when his tongue tangled with hers. He held her tighter then, lifting her up from the ground, and she could feel his lips pull up as he did. She vaguely remembered that she was supposed to be cross with him a moment ago but she couldn't remember why as wave after wave of tenderness and desire crashed over her. 

He finally put her back down after a moment and pulled her into his embrace as he broke the kiss, burying his face in the crook of her neck and taking a deep breath.

"God, I've missed you," he whispered.

"I love you!" she cried out, then immediately winced at the awful tone of her delivery. Maybe she should have written a letter after all.

"What?"

She took a step back to look into his eyes, not sure if he was surprised or had just sincerely not heard what she said.

"I love you," she repeated, her voice softer. "I'm sorry. I should have told you before I left but it sounded so… soon. But I'm not saying it so you'd feel obligated to say it back, I just, it's overwhelming and I needed you to—"

"I love you too, you daft woman," he cut her off with a soft smile. He took her hand and brought it to his lips to kiss her palm. "How could I not? Have you met you? Who wouldn't love you Jemma?"

Her heart melted at the tone in his voice, like it was just as obvious as saying the sky was blue. No wonder she couldn't remain cross with him for more than a minute.

"Well, believe it or not, it really isn't such a popular opinion."

"Oh right." He rolled his eyes as he pulled her closer once more, winding his arms loosely around her hips. "Idiot men in London who get scared when a woman is smarter than they are."

She nodded before pecking his lips.

"Well, we love you here." 

"We?" she repeated, raising her eyebrows in amusement, and he grinned.

"Me, the squirrels, the birds, the trees. And even Angus."

"Angus?"

"The fox! the one we met when we went down to the lake. Now she's nesting next to the house with all her wee babies," he said, his lips pulling up into the purest, sweetest smile she'd ever seen. "I know what you're going to say, of course. Angus is a boy's name, but I didn't know she was a girl until I saw the babies and we were both too used to it to find another one. She's been wondering where you were. Maybe that's just because I've been talking about you a lot and she was just polite but I like to believe that—"

Jemma couldn't resist any longer and took his face in her hands to press a resounding kiss on his lips. 

"You are the sweetest, nicest, most ridiculous man I've ever met," she said, punctuating each word with another kiss that left him grinning.

It was indeed a very pretty fox, but to her, it definitely wasn't the most memorable thing from that time they went down to the lake, initially to look for specific water plants. Desire flared up in her belly just at the thought of it. But she found it adorable, although maybe a little vexing, that it wasn't what Fitz remembered the most.

"Ridiculous?" he repeated and she nodded.

"You're just jealous because you can't speak with foxes."

She rolled her eyes and pecked his lips again, just because she could. After two months in Cambridge, overthinking her every move and still feeling like she wasn't enough, it felt incredibly good to be here with the only man she felt would only encourage her to be improper, cheeky, embarrassingly honest and just completely herself.

"So what brings you here?" he asked faux-casually.

"Oh I don't know, can't you think of a few things?" 

He shook his head. 

She pushed up on her toes and brushed her lips against his. She bit his lower lip when he pressed for more then sucked on it gently, letting her tongue dart out for just a second before pulling back.

"Does that give you a clue?" 

"Maybe," he replied. His smug smile was replaced by an expression she knew well and loved even more.

"Can we go home now? I have so much to tell you."

His face softened immediately and it took her a moment to realize she'd never called his house "home" before. She hadn't even realized she'd done it but she supposed his house in the middle of the forest did feel more like home than anywhere else now. It was the first place where she'd ever felt like she could truly be herself and free, whether it meant walking around fully naked or talking without being interrupted for long minutes, whatever the subject. 

He pulled her in his embrace once more and she breathed him in. The trees, the flowers, the ground under their feet, they all smelt like home. But it was only truly complete with the smell of him. 

-0-0-0-

Jemma opened her eyes and looked to the side. His breathing was slowing down and was now almost perfectly synchronized with hers. The setting sun filtering through the windows was bathing his face in a lovely warm glow, making him look so peaceful she would have thought he'd succumbed to sleep already if it wasn't for the way he held her hand so tightly under the covers.

She rolled to the side and pressed a kiss on his shoulder, then on his collarbone and a last one over his heart before laying her head there. She could easily fall asleep to the sound of this sweet lullaby if she didn't have so much to tell him. She'd already let herself be distracted more than she should have. 

"An excellent point," she whispered against his skin. "But I actually have something to tell you, Fitz." 

He chuckled as he lazily opened his eyes to look at her. Seeing the seriousness of her expression though, he straightened up so he was half sitting against the headboard. 

"Alright, I'm listening."

She sat up as well and snuggled back to his side. His scent and the beating of his heart were incredibly soothing and exactly what she needed at the moment.

"Well, first of all, my research is apparently deemed promising enough for a large grant so I'll be staying here all winter and possibly longer..."

His face lit up at her words but he seemed conflicted as well.

"But if it's such a large grant, don't you want to go to Africa instead? It's been your dream for so long."

"They've given me the grant for a specific purpose and I had other very good reasons for coming back here anyway," she replied, petting his chest tenderly. "I'll go to Africa one day, but I'm afraid Africa will have to wait for me a little longer than I had planned."

"I know you'll find a way to go, Jemma. In the meantime, I can't say I'm mad that you'll be staying here with me. Or well, at the village I suppose, which is good. It's certainly much closer than Cambridge or London."

"Actually," she said, glancing up at him. "I'm a grown woman now and an accomplished scientist. I earn my own income and I'm free to decide what I do with my life. So I'd like to stay for the night or longer, if that's alright with—"

"Please stay! For the night and the next and all the ones after that. I'll make room for you to work here."

Her heart melted as she buried her face in his neck and took a deep breath. _All the ones after that._ That sounded a lot like forever and it sounded like perfection to her.

"Then I'll go get everything I need from the cottage and bring it here then… And I-I suppose it should make the other thing easier too…"

"The other thing?" 

"Yes. The main reason why I boarded a train less than a day after I received the grant money and didn't take the time to write to you first."

"If what you want to tell me is that you missed my body as much as you missed me and are wonderfully insatiable, you should know that I already knew that and it will never be a problem as far as I'm concerned!" 

She looked up at his ridiculous grin and rolled her eyes. He wasn't entirely wrong about that though because his smug, although slightly annoying smile, made her want to straddle him and see how many more orgasms he could give her before the sun had set completely.

"That wasn't the _main_ reason, no."

"Really because if you want, I'm—"

"Fitz, I'm pregnant!"

His eyes grew wide and he finally seemed to be out of words. He straightened up a little more, pushed her away and for a terrifying moment, she was scared that he was so horrified by the news that he couldn't even touch her anymore. But then, he gently pushed her down until she was on her back, and pulled the covers down. His eyes trailed from her eyes to her belly and back several times and she relaxed a little as a tentative smile pulled at her lips.

"It cannot be more than two and a half months, it doesn't show yet." 

"So when do you think—"

"Quite possibly the first time. Or any of the other times in the following few days."

"Wow."

He remained motionless and speechless for another torturously long moment, his eyes going from her face to her belly, staring into space and then back to her. As she waited for him to react, she started feeling the same way she had since she'd stopped pretending not to know what was happening in her own body two weeks ago. The gnawing feeling of fear and nervousness threatened to overwhelm her but Fitz shook his head and seemed to finally come back to the present. He smiled, bent over her and pressed a kiss to her belly. 

"Hello baby," he whispered against her skin. "I'm Fitz but I suppose you can call me da when you're ready to talk."

He kissed her belly once more and turned to look at her, his face lit up with a bright happy smile and she burst into tears. 

"Jemma, what's wrong?" 

"Nothing, I'm perfectly fine. Come-come here please," she replied taking his hand and pulling him up until she could wind her arms around him. He held her tightly without a second's hesitation despite still looking very confused.

"I was so scared. I wasn't even sure how you felt about me and I didn't know how you were going to react and now, I'm just so relieved and happy." 

He pressed a kiss on top of her hair then took her face in his hands and rained kissed all over her skin until she broke into laughter.

"Jemma, I'm so sorry that I wasn't with you when you found out and yes, this is very unexpected, of course. But you and I, us, we're very unexpected as well and it only makes it even more wonderful. But a baby Jemma, a baby!" he almost cried out as he squeezed her shoulders. "One that's half you, how could I be less than overjoyed?"

Her eyes pooled with tears once more and she tried to contain them, but with the lump in her throat and the overwhelming feeling of joy, it just wasn't possible.

"I'm sorry. I'm happy, I swear," she said, uselessly wiping her eyes as more tears kept falling. "You might not be able to tell yet from looking at my belly but my emotions are out of control. I cry over the smallest things these days, it's ridiculous!"

"Oh. Then I'm really sorry for what I'm about to do."

"What?"

He tilted her face up to look at him once more and gave her a tremulous smile.

"Will you marry me, Jemma?" 

"Fitz, I—" she started but his eyes widened before she could say another word.

"It's not because of the baby! I love you and I wanted to propose even before... The baby is just a bonus. No wait, not a bonus, it's a lot more than that, it's everything... Wait…" 

She tried to take his hand and pull him back but he shot up from the bed, giving her a lovely view of his backside before he quickly slid his shirt on and walked to his desk. Feeling loathe about putting her clothes back on so soon, she grabbed the blanket at the end of the bed and wrapped it around her shoulders before following him.

"Look!" he said. 

There was a piece of paper in his hand, the same kind he used for all his drawings and schematics. Except this wasn't a drawing of a train or a car but a ring. The band was thin and there was a small yellow stone on top, the only thing he had used colors for, set on a flower that resembled the one that she owed her grant to. It was so incredibly pretty and delicate and different from what he usually worked on, but somehow, it didn't surprise her that Fitz was able to work equally well on intricate designs as well as huge machinery.

"I've designed it and my friend Mack down at the village is finishing it now. When I asked him, he made all kinds of stupid jokes, asking if I fell in love with a fairy lady in the woods," Fitz said, rolling his eyes and Jemma had to hide her laughter behind her hand. "And he thinks he's funny but anyway, he's good at what he does and it should be ready in a week or so. I wanted to have it so I could ask you properly but I'm too happy to have you back now to be mad about that. Jemma, do you—"

"Fitz, it's beautiful," she cut him off, taking a step forward to kiss him. "But you wanted to propose even though you didn't know when I'd be back or if I'd be back at all?" 

Oh no, now she was imagining poor Fitz waiting here all alone with his beautiful ring while she remained stuck in Cambridge doing cataloging for professor Nathanson, and tears were pooling in her eyes again. He cupped her cheek and tilted her face towards him.

"I knew you'd be back Jemma. And if you didn't, I-I would have come to get you!"

She raised her eyebrows almost up to her hairline.

" _You_ would have left your forest and come to Cambridge to get me?" 

"Absolutely." 

"Oh, Fitz." Her heart melted at the complete certainty in his voice. How could she have ever doubted that he loved her back? 

"So? Is that a yes?" he asked with a slight tinge of doubt in his voice. It was so obvious to her, she hadn't even realized she didn't say the words yet.

"Oh yes, Fitz. Of course I will marry you."

He let out what she thought was a sigh of relief then wound his arms around her and kissed her, sweet and gentle, his lips gliding over hers as he pulled her close. But before she melted into the kiss completely, she noticed something else on his desk, another drawing that wasn't like the others.

"Is that a boat? I didn't know you could do that too…" 

"It's _your_ boat. The one you asked me to make for you? I mean, it's just a simple design at this point, I would need to go into details of the machinery, of course, and you're going to need a much bigger grant if you want me to have it built but… That's a start, yeah?"

She'd meant it as a joke even though she didn't doubt that he could probably build anything he wanted, but he had actually designed a boat for her. Maybe he was the fairy creature after all. She didn't know humans to be this wonderful.

"How could I ever think you were mean or rude?"

"Because I am. I'm making an exception for you."

She smiled as she rolled her eyes. She knew it wasn't true and that he had the biggest heart, but it was an incredibly romantic thing to say and she loved it more than she cared to admit it. So she pushed up on her tip toes and kissed him again. She nipped at his lips and he groaned as he deepened the kiss, his hands tightening around her waist. She arched her back to get even closer and the blanket started sliding off her shoulders. She trembled as the cold air grazed her skin and he tried to warm her up by rubbing her back but it only made the blanket slide further down and fall to the floor. But there was a source of heat she preferred to any other anyway so she pressed her body even closer to his, hooking one leg behind his calf. The warmth of his body she could feel through his thin shirt made her shiver all over but it had nothing to do with the cold. His hand came to support her thigh and hike her leg up even higher. She moaned as she kissed him even harder. Her emotions, and her stomach, weren't the only things that seemed out of control these days. She smiled into the kiss and slid her hands under his shirt to squeeze his lovely backside and pull him closer. Heat gathered in her belly at the promising hardness she could feel against her hip and it took an inhuman effort for her to move away just enough to whisper against his lips.

"Now be really nice and come back to bed with me, my betrothed." 

He nodded and started walking her backwards, his warm hands doing delicious things as they traveled down her back and up her side, but he stopped abruptly with his hand on her belly and a slightly horrified expression on his face. She pouted when she tried to chase his lips and he stayed at an annoyingly respectable distance. 

"Jemma," he half whispered. "Earlier when we… we could have hurt the baby?"

She sighed as her lips turned into a mischievous grin.

"Fitz, since that baby is half you and half me, I think it's safe to say that it's not made of porcelain."

He glared at her as he let his hand fall from her belly.

"That's not what I meant. It's just, shouldn't I have been… gentler?" he asked, his cheeks turning a little pink. So there was something that could embarrass him after all. She was tempted to tease him about it, but he was just worried about her and the baby and that was sweet of him she supposed, although unnecessary.

"If I wanted or needed you to be gentler, I would have said so, alright?" 

"Alright."

He smiled before his expression turned to one of desire again and she pulled him to her before he changed his mind again and decided that _she_ was made of porcelain. She quickly pulled his shirt over his head and turned them around. She kissed him hard on the mouth and slowly moved her hands up until they were on his shoulders, and made him fall on his back. He laughed as he moved up the bed, and his hands were on her the second she joined him, moving on her hands and knees until she could sit back, one leg on each side of his hips. She rolled her hips and sighed with pleasure at the hardness pressing against her folds. She reached between their bodies but he stopped her.

"Jemma, wait!"

"What?" she replied, feeling a little desperate.

"If the baby's a girl, can we call her Angus?" 

She burst out laughing and bent forward to kiss him, slow but maddeningly sensual as her hips kept rolling over him of their own volition, her body begging to have him inside.

"Wait, wait, wait," he mumbled against her lips and she whined. "I thought about it and I think it'd be nice if we made the baby in the lake. Should give them the ability to breathe underwater."

"What? Fitz! You don't really believe that, do you?" 

"No… but you know, just in case. It'd be a pretty handy, that's all I'm saying…" 

"Scots and their folklore," she said as she shook her head, trying to hide her grin.

"Well, we'll see who's laughing when the baby comes out with a fin or—"

She cut him off with a kiss and slipped her tongue into his mouth. Seven months would be more than enough to discuss baby names and potential supernatural abilities. As long as the baby had his bright eyes and soft smile, she didn't mind if they had gills or scales anyway. And she had other things in mind, now. She lifted her hips and moaned as she finally descended on him. His hands found their rightful place on her hips and they started moving together. His warmth slowly suffused her body through their connection, their hands and, even more it seemed, through the look in his eyes. Jemma sighed, not only in pleasure but in deep contentment and happiness. As pleasure intensified for both of them, their moans and sighs filled the air, joining the singing of birds, the wind in the trees and the cracking of wood all around. Yes, that was exactly what home sounded like.


End file.
